Metaphor in Terminology 269In addition to body parts, we observe that metaphorical expressions
which describe the motion of technical fluids and gases in machinery are
also obvious examples, such as bleed, breathe, throttle or feed in (5) to (8):
(5) Fluid can be bled off slowly with a manual dump so the gauge reaches
pre-charge pressure slowly.
(6) One supplier offers low-pressure accumulators as breathing devices
for sealed reservoirs.
(7) The poppet throttlesthe orifice to restrict flow and produce the desired
pressure.
(8) The boost pump permanently feeds a sufficient volume of fluid from
the reservoir to the low-pressure side of the closed circuit via a check
valve.We argue that the above expressions also exploit certain inherent
similarities between MACHINE and HUMAN BODY, specifically their reliance
on running fluids (whether organic or technical) for proper operation:
feeding, for instance, denotes the delivery of a vital fluid or another
substance to a particular part of a machine for processing and utilization
while bleeding refers to the purposeful extraction of surplus air or fluid
from the hydraulic lines of a machine with a view to prevent or eliminate
its damage. And while we can argue that using metaphors makes referring
to these processes considerably easier, we can hardly claim that
conceptualizing them in terms of HUMAN BODY is a pre-condition to
understanding them in the first place. There are, indeed, languages in
which these terms are not expressed metaphorically at all^6 and even
English is fully capable of describing them in more general language
terms.^7 Indeed, the use of metaphor in these cases seems more of a
linguistic convenience than a necessity for understanding.
Our findings have thus called into question Tercedor Sánchez et al.’s
(2012) claim: they are clearly resemblance-based and do not facilitate the
very conceptualization of the entities in the target domain. We suggest our
findings be instead interpreted as cases of discourse metaphors, having
“[arisen] in language use to address [...] specific communicative needs and
functions” (Evans 2013: 75). In other words, in specialized language
domains like MACHINERY, where much of metaphorical mapping happens
between tangible domains of experience, the function of figurative
(^6) For example, German entlüften in place of the English verb bleed or Czech
mazací þep in place of the English word nipple.
(^7) In a similar fashion, a SEAHORSE can be alternatively referred to as a member of
the Hippocampus species or described as a marine animal with a long head, bent
neck and a distinctive curled tail.